


Stone Rose

by erigomjen



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), M/M, Olympians, also some chapters are slightly based on webtoon lore olympus, and jaemin a stubborn persephone!, based on youtube videos, jeno is a very sweet hades!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24717370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erigomjen/pseuds/erigomjen
Summary: “Do you promise that you will let me come back?”Jaemin found himself asking that question for the second time, both of them having been whilst standing in front of Hades.The first time, he was frightened, wishing to go back to his mother the soonest possible. The second, he had high hopes in his husband letting him stay by his side.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34
Collections: NOMIN FIC FEST





	1. The end of spring

Jaemin used to live in eternal springs, surrounded by the beauty of nature and creating life in the form of vegetation for the mortals that adored him and his mother, Demeter. The mortals would praise them during harvest for providing them with nurtured soil for their seeds, the protection of trees and the fruits they would give so constantly for their enjoyment. Being a spring god of the fertility of crops, Jaemin used to live among tall, leafy trees and wild beds of flowers of all colours, walking on soft, fresh grass, and taking naps in glades while the other nature nymphs guarded his sleep.

He was never alone; he should never be. Jaemin possessed such an ethereal beauty that resembled the spring itself, with pink hairlocks and rose lips that would be the death of any mortal, a bright smile that emanated the purity of nature, and long thick lashes that were the reflection of his own chastity, guarding a pair of emerald-green eyes. He was the depiction of lively foliage and flowers.

Given his alluring beauty, Demeter would never allow Jaemin to go around the woods unaccompanied, and so the only friends Jaemin knew were the nymphs that watched every step he took, always reporting to his mother whatever thing they did during their long walks.

He knew nothing else but the sight of colourful perfection, of green grass and bright coloured-flowers, the chant of the river and the melody of birds during the day. The only darkness he had seen was lit by moonlight, the same moon that guarded his sleep at night.

That is why Jaemin should have been frightened by the pitch-black horses that emerged from the ground, their eyes on fire and surrounded by a cold blue aura that instantly froze him on his feet. Jaemin found himself enclosed by the horses galloping in a circle to prevent the nymphs from approaching, the grass under their footprints dying out as they touched the ground. The flowers that he was gathering remained alive by his touch, but as soon as he let go of them, they became ashes under the deathly aura brought by the underworld.

The sky that once was bright blue turned grey, as if it announced the coming of a destructive storm, but instead, it was a man leading a carriage pulled by other black horses. The wild purebloods neighed in respect and stopped in their tracks to let that being come through towards Jaemin, who stood motionless before the animals. Strong arms held him by the waist and pulled him up in a blink of an eye, not hesitating to take him to where the horses came from. He barely registered what was happening, but soon realised his fate.

He had been taken by Hades, God of the Underworld.

There was no use in trying to escape, not that he could have any success, when there was nowhere to run. The green became black, the blue sky turned a deep dark and the flowers he once knew were replaced by emptiness.

Before Jaemin could understand his new reality, his senses became weak and he passed out, barely registering the dark eyes that saw inside his soul. The arms that caught him were strong and the scent of musk relieved the anxious feeling on his chest, allowing him to fall into deep sleep.

Jaemin woke up in a room upholstered with shining diamonds. The big bed where he laid felt soft like cotton under his touch, and he suddenly remembered the previous events.

Someone took him away from the woods.

A man, more like a scary being forced him into this strange place. Jaemin had been kidnapped by no other than Hades, the god of the underworld.

The fear grew in him as he stood up to walk outside. It took everything for him not to make a noise, but it was useless. His own fear made some bushes grow in the world of the dead, the leaves dying almost instantly as soon as they touched the ground. Green roots emerged from the marbled floor, breaking the material into pieces.

He walked outside, still trying to calm down so as not to be found, but the moment he entered the big salon, he was received by a loud bark; an also pitch-black hound dog salivating through his fangs, eyes red and its body of a size that surpassed Jaemin’s tiny shape.

“Hey, shush, boy! I’m not gonna hurt you, if that’s what you think.” He said with a calm voice, slowly approaching the animal. He was trying to negotiate with the dog, ignoring how useless it seemed to be, encouraging himself with the memory of his words working well back when the wood animals sometimes lost their cool. “It’s okay! I’m Jaemin, and you are…” Jaemin talked more to himself as he peered down at the plaque on the dog’s collar “Keru. Uhm, I’ve never heard of such a name, but it’s adorable!”

At that point, the enormous dog seemed calmer and allowed Jaemin to pet his head like a good puppy. “Oh, look at you! Aren’t you a good boy? Who is a good boy, huh?” the dog barked excitedly to Jaemin’s cooing, and his fierce eyes turned to a friendlier dark brown “Yes, you are, Keru yah! Keru is such a good boy!”

He kept on petting the dog, who panted and rolled himself onto his back to the soft touch of the vegetation god, until the animal stood and straightened its position very suddenly, as if he had sensed danger.

It was certainly more than that.

“Back to the door, Cerberus.”

The hound instantly followed the order, and Jaemin stood as well, still dazed and confused from the recent events.

And there he was.

Emanating an aura of darkness, the god of the underworld walked towards the smaller god, imposing his presence over the younger. Jaemin’s white robe and pink hair were the only colour that could be found there, so contrasting from the black garments Hades wore.

He wanted to dread him; he should indeed, but instead it was sorrow that took over him. Jaemin could not take his green eyes off of the darker ones, too enchanted by the sharp features of someone who was often mentioned by mortals in their curses.

“I welcome you, Jaemin, to the reign of the underworld” he extended his arms, showing the younger the big salon. “You should’ve probably guessed who I am, but to you…” he lowered his voice, getting closer and closer as he spoke, lifting up Jaemin’s chin to take a better look at his pretty face “… I am Jeno.”

“Jeno…” he repeated; his big doe eyes incapable of looking anywhere else but the handsome features of the god. “Jeno… why am I here?”

Jeno smiled, showing a row of pearl-white teeth that intimidated the pinkette. “Isn’t it obvious, little one?” He says, letting go of the younger and rising himself as he stood straight, showing the real power he beheld in contrast to the soft tone he used to talk to him. “I brought you here for your own sake, to make you my king and keep you safe forever. Together we will reign the dead and be feared by the living. You and I, my beloved Jaemin, for the rest of eternity.”

“You must be completely insane!” Jaemin replied furiously, pushing the god away as if he was not one of the powerful three. “How dare you bring me here? I wanna go home!” he continued, almost tearing up out of fear and the uneasiness of being away from his mother.

And his mother, oh heavens. Would his mother be looking for him? What could have happened to the nymphs? Will they be okay? “I really don’t care who you are or if you will make me king of whatever. Just let me go!” he whined in pure dread, rubbing his pretty eyes to clean them from the tears.

The sight made Jeno’s eyes soften, his heart skipping a beat for making such a beauty cry tears of sadness. He walked closer to him and cupped the pretty face on his big hands. “Please, don’t cry… just don’t” Jeno spoke in a soft voice “it really does break my heart.”

“My dad would kill you!” Jaemin slapped the elder’s hand away, too angry to even let him touch him.

“Oh, I know your dad so well, if he tried to kill me, I would kill him first and then he would serve me for eternity. Yet I’ll still be your husband, sweetheart.”

Not able to contain anymore tears, Jaemin frowned in discontent and ran to hide in the room where he woke up, slamming the door as soon as he was inside. He hid his pretty face on the mattress and wished he could just leave this horrible place where the sun never touched his skin.

Soon after, he heard the doorknob and the deadly god entering the room. Jeno sat on the bed and brushed his pink hairs, and Jaemin leaned into the touch of his long fingers, warm in spite of the pale colour of his skin, unable to resist the care which he was being pampered with. He needed that, he needed the soft touches, he felt too weak.

“I didn´t mean to make you cry, pretty. Will you forgive me?”

“How can I?” Jaemin mumbled, showing his reddened face to the other god. Jeno was really close to cooing at the sight of the younger’s tiny nose that had turned a delicate shade of red, and his pretty doe eyes which were glossy with tears. “You brought me here without my consent. I hate it here, I want to go back to my mom, to my friends…”

Jeno frowned, disgusted at the idea of letting Jaemin go to the outside world, to the dangers of the land that for so long had protected him.

It was no longer safe, and he strongly wished to let Jaemin know how safe the underworld was for him.

It just was not the right time.

“I am afraid I can’t let you do that, pretty.”


	2. The realm of the dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! so i didn't really think it would take me this long to have the second chapter ready, but i really wanted to bring something worth the wait, and i hope this is the case.
> 
> also it's unbeta-ed, so bear with me since english is not my first language.  
> enjoy! <3 and leave your feedback if you can!

If Jaemin had bothered measuring the time of his stay in the underworld, he certainly would have lost track almost immediately, being the wait too long to bear. But waiting for what?

To leave?

Hades had made it clear before, it was a no.

Jaemin vaguely remembers the spicy fragrance of fresh grass splattered with morning dew, the soft aroma of the flowers and the sweet singing of the birds that filled his chest with a longing feeling and tormented his head with melancholy.

If only Helios’s warm could slip through the doors of the underworld, at least Jaemin would know how long his wait has been. The only thing he is sure of, is that his distaste is immeasurable.

Having decided to at least walk around the captor god’s palace, Jaemin wanders through the halls in the middle of semi-darkness, as in an eternal night lighted by fire and the reflection of jewels embedded into the columns, like a faux night guiding his way.

Under the gloomy silence of the main room, Jaemin spots Hades standing behind his throne, watching the burning fire crackling. He secretly contemplates him from the threshold, and Jaemin thinks to himself that even if Jeno had a serious expression on his face, he did not look that intimidating. In fact, the calmness of his presence felt more tranquilizing, almost like a hypnotizing spell that made it impossible to look at anything else but him and his imponent figure.

He seemed distracted, and Jaemin takes the opportunity to sneak out as silently as possible towards the main door, huge and framed with flaming torches.

“If you want to go out so bad, why don’t you just ask?”

Jaemin stops in his tracks, a cold sweat travelling from up and down his body. He slowly turns around with his hands shaking on both sides of his body and wondering if this could be the end of his existence. Would Hades be that powerful to even put an end to his immortality?

Although his tone was a little harsh, Jaemin can only notice a warm gesture in Jeno’s face. His eyes of a light blue show an overwhelming calmness that makes Jaemin relax his pose and unclench his fingers.

“I just… I don’t want to- I only wanted to see Keru” he admits in defeat, the green in his eyes becoming opaque.

“You don’t have to ask for permission to go out.”

“Can I go back to the surface, then?”

“I never said you could get out of the underworld.”

Jaemin does not hide his disappointment, which makes Jeno’s eyes soften at the sight. Maybe he was being too insensitive with the young god. “Don't look so sad, pretty, you can go out of the palace and walk around as much as you’d like to get yourself familiar with the realm.”

Jaemin nods in agreement, hiding his face from the god's sight. Why does it feel endearing to be called that by him? It is not like he had never been called a pet name before... Even so, Jaemin does not move a muscle away from his position, as if he was at the expectancy of something.

“Is there anything else?” Jeno questions.

“I was waiting for my companion for my tour. Will I have one? Two? How many?

The innocent question makes Jeno laugh softly, overwhelmed by the cuteness of the god. He walks closer and grabs his face to move his pink bangs away from his doe eyes. Jaemin’s pretty face invited to be kissed all over, a deep temptation for the god of the underworld.

“You can go on your own.”

“Can I really!?” he asks, almost jumping in excitement.

“Of course,” Jeno nods with a smile “this place is at your disposition, everything here is under your command. There is nothing that can hurt you, nothing would dare to do so” Jeno adds with a serious tone, but Jaemin did not even notice, being too excited to start his little journey through the corners of the underworld.

With a wide smile on his face, Jaemin thinks how ironic it is that he can enjoy more freedom while in the underworld rather than at home in the surface. There were no nymphs following him around everywhere, not an informant pretending to be his friend just to tell his mother about every single step he took at the end of the day. The sole sensation to walk around on his own was liberating.

The place was endless, and even though it was just a portion of it that he noticed while being inside the palace, seeing it with his own eyes from the outside was totally different.

The outskirts of the palace were very neat, free from souls since it was where the great residence of the god stood. The golden pathways were framed by bushes filled with narcissus flowers of yellow and white colours, bright and beautiful.

Out of the palace realm, the darkness felt even heavier, yet Jaemin did not feel the same fear than before. It was more of an intriguing sensation, and his curiosity led him even further towards the crossroad where the great river Styx watered four other streams. It seemed to be a very busy place, full with activity.

The pathway becomes rougher and rockier with every step he takes and the place is slightly lightened by the river of blue fire, the Acheron, of the same blue from Jeno’s eyes, where in a boat navigates from the distance. As soon as he pays close attention, Jaemin can distinguish the boat full with passengers looking down, pale and tired. All of them were going down the river, and in the middle of his curiosity, the young god can see how one by one they began to look at his direction.

The boat stops before him, as if the river itself had ordered to do so. Then the passengers bow to his presence to continue navigating. Intrigued, Jaemin follows the stream of the river, walking side by side with the boat right where the fire found its limits with the rocky path.

“Where is it that you’re going? It seems like a long way.”

And it was, in fact. Jaemin cannot even see where the river ended no matter how much he tries. Nevertheless, none of the passengers gave him an answer, all of them fearing the presence of the young god.

“We are going to the Tartarus, your majesty” one of them dares to say, and Jaemin can swear that his body shook upon hearing the title which he was being addressed with.

“What is it there in the Tartarus?” Why are you going there?”

“We were criminals when we were alive, your majesty” another one replies, crestfallen as well and without looking at him in the eyes “it is there where the enemies of the gods, monsters and the cruellest of criminals are destined to be.”

Jaemin wants to know more, intrigued and eager to find out about everything, but the river decided that it was time to move on and so, it continues its stream, taking away the boat with the new guests of the infernal realm, disappearing behind canyons and gloom.

On the other side another stream runs immensely long, the river Cocytus. Its riverside is foggy, and its waters are dark. Crestfallen souls awaited there, some of them contemplating a few others leaving them behind in a boat with much less passengers than those going through the Acheron. Yet all of them looked even more tired, looking emaciated and defeated.

Their aura makes Jaemin feel uneasy, yet he continues walking towards them without much fear, getting closer and closer to where they were. His white robes immediately get the attention of a few of them, as if his presence meant a ray of hope that made the souls rush towards him. Some are crawling with difficulty, and others more threatening throw themselves as much as their almost non-existent strength allow them to. All in desperation, wishing for a coin that could let them leave to eternal rest.

 _“Have mercy!”_ they claim, in a haunting wail at unison.

 _“Have mercy!”_ they plead, and Jaemin steps back but with no avail, it is no impediment for the souls that try to reach him. Then, his green eyes darken in deep emerald, followed by a bloody red invading his iris. Around his figure roots are growing, serving him as protection, becoming thin thorn branches as soon as they emerged from the rock.

His heart throbs erratically, and soul by soul all of those wandering get closer and closer to him.

Until they stop. Everything does.

The same souls are petrified in their place. Those who longed a single touch are now going back to their original positions like statues, as if nothing had disrupted their calmness before.

Behind him, Jeno is standing in his glory, imponent and ruthless at the sight. It makes Jaemin realize that the souls were fearing Hades, not really the thorns he grew.

“Are you alright?” Jeno asks, frowning in worry.

“I am,” Jaemin replies in a calmer voice, the thorns he grew vanishing into ashes that flew to the river “I don’t think I should’ve gotten that close. Thanks for helping me out.”

“It wasn’t me” Jeno says, and Jaemin looks at him in confusion.

“But they stepped away when you came…”

“Those are erratic souls, but they recognized you eventually. They know how to pay their respects” he ensures severely, grabbing his face to brush his cheeks with his thumb.

The fierce red in Jaemin’s eyes slowly vanish, bringing back the bright green, which make Jeno calm again.

“Anyways, how did you know? Didn’t you say that I could be on my own?” Jaemin questions slightly annoyed, now his bright eyes turning to a darker shade.

Though it was not his intention to be rude, he could not help but feeling resentful right when he believed that in the underworld, he could at least not be watched every minute.

“It’s not how you think it is, I can see it all. Even when you’re in danger.”

“I could’ve managed, they can’t hurt me, you said! Or were you lying?”

“I don’t need to lie.” Jeno defends his word, a little bitter in his tone, which made Jaemin’s anger grow in his chest.

"You don't? Then explain why you brought me here" Jaemin demanded, his words taking Jeno aback.

After a long silence, Jaemin chuckles in disbelief, and still furious, he storms off towards the crossroad, where in Hecate judged where the souls were destined to be. He did not need any of this overprotective behaviour, only making him hate more and more how he was being treated like a child.

Frustrated, Jeno lets out a long sigh. If Jaemin had paid more attention, maybe he could have noticed how his hairs changed to the same blue of the fire running through the Acheron, like the deep wild sea in a day of storm. And his eyes, usually of a sweet bright green, had become red like blood, which let the souls know to whom they stood before.

His usual colours came back again, and even though Jeno knew it would happen, he was glad to see that Jaemin did not notice.

It was time for the underworld to behold the arrival of the bringer of death.


End file.
